What is depression?
While everybody feels sad and unmotivated from time to time, clinical depression actually affects the way you think, feel, and behave in your day-to-day life.
Without proper treatment, depression may have an impact on your ability to function socially, professionally, and physically.
It often causes a severe lack of interest and motivation that makes it difficult to form meaningful connections and experience a sense of fulfillment in your life.
Are there different types of depression?
The team at Wendell Street Psychiatric, LLC, diagnoses and treats several types of depression, such as:
Major depressive disorder
Also known as clinical depression, major depressive disorder is characterized by persistent thoughts of sadness and lack of interest for an extended period of time.
Postpartum depression
Major hormonal changes after birth can lead to intense bouts of sadness, crying, worry, and overwhelming fatigue.
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
SAD is a type of depression linked to changes in the season, especially when it starts getting dark very early in fall and winter. Those with SAD may experience loss of interest, sadness, hopelessness, and fatigue.
Psychotic depression
Psychotic depression affects roughly 20% of those diagnosed with depression. This disorder can cause disorganized thoughts or behavior, delusions, or hallucinations.
Atypical depression
Atypical depression often leads to certain behaviors like oversleeping, irritability, hopelessness, overeating, and heaviness in the limbs.
What are the symptoms of depression?
While this disorder affects everybody differently, some of the most common depression symptoms include:
- Sadness or hopelessness
- Anxiety or agitation
- Irritability
- Changes in eating habits
- Weight loss or weight gain
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory problems
- Loss of interest
- Insomnia or oversleeping
- Fatigue
- Slowed thinking or movements
- General disconnect from others
If you experience any of the above depression symptoms for longer than two weeks, contact Wendell Street Psychiatric, LLC, for a comprehensive evaluation.
How is depression treated?
Your provider at Wendell Street Psychiatric, LLC, can create an individualized depression treatment plan for you that involves one or more of the following treatments:
Individual therapy
Wendell Street Psychiatric, LLC, offers different types of individual therapy to suit each patient’s unique needs, including psychotherapy, or talk therapy.
They often recommend cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which identifies negative thinking and behavior patterns to change the way you react to them. Therapy with your provider at Wendell Street Psychiatric, LLC, focuses on reducing unhelpful coping mechanisms and encourage positive behaviors, emotions, and thoughts, so you can lead a more fulfilling life.
Medication management
Antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications, and antipsychotics have all been shown to reduce depression symptoms. The mental health professionals at Wendell Street Psychiatric, LLC, are experts at depression medication management and can create a plan that best suits your mental health goals.
For more information on depression treatments, call Wendell Street Psychiatric, LLC, or schedule an appointment online.
